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Studies In Poland, is it easy to survive on part-time jobs?


jon357  73 | 23223  
9 Jan 2018 /  #241
the only reasons that people have for not learning the language of the country they live in are stupidity and laziness,

Indeed. This does happen, and of course there are Poles in the UK (for a decade or more, not just for the duration of a degree or a training programme) who can't ring for a taxi. Not everyone has the same aptitude for language learning.

ethno-racial and religious mix

Not a consideration.

Good that the increasing number of studenty jobs in Poland is attracting young people who want to study and perhaps settle.
Dirk diggler  10 | 4452  
9 Jan 2018 /  #242
The topic of the thread is 'Studies In Poland, is it easy to survive on part-time jobs?' and the Nepalese guy asked about working while he's a student. Yes, there are jobs, mostly in the major cities like Warsaw, available for young non Polish speaking individuals with no experience in a niche or in demand field. These lower skilled, entry level type jobs are increasingly being taken by Ukrainians though. Sit down at a café, restaurant or bar in downtown Wroclaw and chances are there's at least a few Ukranians working there and basically every other café/bar/etc around it. Studying PL with hardly any savings and expecting to find a job as such an individual is imo not a good decision. The reason why is it's going to be very difficult to survive financially and go to school. It could work if you're working like 30-40 hour weeks and spread our your classes. At best he could compete for some low wage restaurant, hotel, agriculture, handicraft, etc. jobs that tend to mostly go to Ukrainian migrants.

Rent alone in a major city starts at around 2,500 z's - a bit above the minimum wage of 2k zloty which is around the type of earnings an inexperienced young male without an education could expect unless he has some blue collar specialty like construction, plumbing, mechanic, etc. especially at a part time job.

Even at a theoretical 20-25-30 z's an hour (25-30 being basically double the min wage of 2k z's a month) and 25 hour weeks he'd make 2k - 3k z a month - just enough to cover the rent. Either the person would have to find an employer willing to pay him 30-40 z's an hour for an unskilled job to make ends meet (maybe he'd make that as a waiter with tips at a nice restaurant in the rynek where there's always tons of tourists - but those jobs more often than not require at least some knowledge of Polish not to mention past waiting experience), or he'd have to work over 40-50 hour weeks to make ends meet at a low wage like washing dishes which plenty of ukranians are happy to take for 15-20 z's an hour.

Of course this seems like a ton of money to people like the Nepali guy where minimum wages are like $70-$100 a month and making $500 a month is considered a lot of money. However, the cost of living in Poland, rent prices, etc. make it very very difficult for someone just to come in with no language skills, no other highly in demand skills like coding for example, to just get a part time job that will pay him 3k zloty a month so he can manage even a fairly Spartan existence and share rent with other individuals. Also, he's going to be competing with tons of newly arrived Ukrainians who tend to get preferential treatment in job hiring for like lower skill, more entry level jobs and will gladly work 10 hour days at 12.5-20 zloty an hour. In 2015 even there was a report of security guards being paid as little as something like 5-6 zloty an hour. Even at the current minimum wage which I believe is 12.5 or even say 15-20 zl its going to be nearly impossible to be able to afford a typical college student's life if you have no prior savings.

Now if the Nepali guy studied computer science and became a programmer or coder or whatever he could easily make 10k z's after graduating. But during college an unskilled part time individual can't expect much more than the minimum wage and even then he'll have to compete with many Ukrainians for such a job which will have a far better grasp of Polish.
delphiandomine  86 | 17823  
9 Jan 2018 /  #243
Rent alone in a major city starts at around 2,500 z's

Most students will share rooms, so 500-700zł at the most including bills. The nicest dormitories tend to be about 900-1000zł each, but you can find a shared room for as little as 300zł in one.
jon357  73 | 23223  
9 Jan 2018 /  #244
shared room

These are still very common, and there are even cheaper options sometimes, though mostly for locals.
delphiandomine  86 | 17823  
9 Jan 2018 /  #245
Yes, indeed. I've just had a look, and even very basic single rooms in dormitories are only 600zł a month.
jon357  73 | 23223  
9 Jan 2018 /  #246
A lot are still shared as well, further lowering the price.
cms  9 | 1253  
9 Jan 2018 /  #247
I have two modern furnished apartments and used to have another - i never rented any for more than 1800 zloty. I doubt Wroclaw would have much higher prices
Dirk diggler  10 | 4452  
9 Jan 2018 /  #248
Most students will share rooms, so 500-700zł at the most including bills.

The cheapest sublets I've seen advertised (at least around Wroclaw) were around the 200-400 eu a month mark. That's still around 850 z's. As a young male who doesn't speak Polish and doesn't appear to have much work experience, he'd be competing for 13-15, at most 20 z an hour jobs (which he'd get really lucky to land 20z's an hour). Even at the middle of 15 z's an hour he'll have to work 2 weeks (part time) just to pay the sublet. So perhaps yes if he were living with a bunch of others people and just subletting a room or living in a hostel at 40 zloty a night, then yeah he might be able to manage, but barely though. Even then though he'd spend 2 weeks out of the month working just to pay the sublet, and another 2 weeks to make another 750 zloty (15 z's x 25 hours x 2 weeks). Also, it'd be very very difficult for him even to land a 15 z an hour job for 25-30 hours a week as there's plenty of ukranians that would want that job, and even accept a lower wage that's closer to the min wage.
jon357  73 | 23223  
9 Jan 2018 /  #249
i never rented any for more than 1800 zloty

Of course. And most students either rent a room in a hall of residence or share one, further reducing the price.
Dirk diggler  10 | 4452  
9 Jan 2018 /  #250
I still don't think even with splitting a place to bring the cost of rent down a guy from Nepal would be able to have a half decent existence in Poland with no savings, no unique skills, and going with the hopes that he'll get a part time job which will carry him through.

Although if he's a winner and is ambitious he'll make it. Quite a few people have come to countries where they knew no one, didn't know the language, had no special skills or education yet 10-20 years later they have a 7 figure net worth. Most students in PL would not fair well if they didn't have any savings, family to help them out, a place they don't have to pay rent for, etc - especially if they didn't know Polish and had no skills. Most of the foreign students are receiving some sort financial assistance whether it's their family, some savings they've had, etc. Most though do not rely on a part time entry level job in Poland to pay for all their expenses. They use that money for clothes, going out, food, books, maybe some rent, cell phone, etc. It makes it even harder that the guy is Nepali as many Polish employers tend to give preference to Ukrainians for entry level low wage jobs over others simply because Ukrainians either already know enough Polish to get around or will very soon. If he learned Polish he'd at least be on the same playing field as the Ukrainians in Poland with whom he'd be competing against.
mafketis  38 | 11083  
10 Jan 2018 /  #251
Not a consideration.

It kind of should be, demography is destiny.
jon357  73 | 23223  
10 Jan 2018 /  #252
That's for politicians - who right now in Poland are happy to sign the deals to take batches of students.

Demography isn't something that can be manipulated anyway.
mafketis  38 | 11083  
10 Jan 2018 /  #253
Purest nonsense. The whole idea of separate cultures depends on manipulating demography.
jon357  73 | 23223  
10 Jan 2018 /  #254
Foremost purest nonsense. We aren't talking about demographics, we're talking about people who study abroad.
Pratap oli  
11 Jan 2018 /  #255
what's wrong with u Mr.Dirk diggler **** U guy
Dirk diggler  10 | 4452  
11 Jan 2018 /  #256
Sorry buddy just telling you the reality. Dont take it personally. Youre going to have an extremely difficult time surviving in poland esp with no savings, no skills that set you apart from the others also looking for work, no knowledge of polish, etc. Any job that youll be qualified for will likely go to a ukranian as they already speak polish. And even if you somehow manage to land a job in pl youll make at or slightly abobe min wage of 12.5 zs an hour which is very hard to survive on esp part time
Guhutha  
12 Jul 2018 /  #257
Hey
I got addmission in poland for masters in pharmacy . There is some questions in my mind pls help me
1. How much money used for my monthly expense for living.
2. How much i am able to earn with the part time job
3. how many time i am able to work.
4. Work permit is required for part time job or not.
5. Which type of work i get in poland for part time.

6. It is possible to survive on the part time job basis in poland with the study.

I am form india and i am good in indian english
Alexbrz  3 | 78  
12 Jul 2018 /  #258
The answer is literally in the post above you. Without savings, you will have a very big struggle on your hands
dolnoslask  5 | 2805  
12 Jul 2018 /  #259
2. How much i am able to earn with the part time job

Par time work tends only to pay minimum wage.

Maybe if you are in a large city, speak Polish and have good contacts you may just find such work.

But if you are in the countryside like me, you will have no chance at all, these Jobs tend to go to family and local people first. ok there is black market cash in hand work but that tends to go to Ukrainians and the work is generally hard labour.

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